Product Updates

We have successfully pushed an update for Software Capture for PC and Mac to all Enterprise Video Platform instances residing in the European Union, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia. Canada and the United States will be updated later this week. For the YuJa Software Capture for PC, this update includes remote monitoring for when devices are signed out of Windows and automatic capture resumption for when devices unexpectedly reboot.

1. Fleet Management Capabilities – Remote Monitoring of Classroom Devices When Signed Out of Windows If a scheduled session starts while a user is not logged into their Windows device, the session preview will now be accessible on the Admin Panel’s Device page.
2. Automatic Capture Resumption When Devices Unexpectedly Reboot If a device running a Software Capture session unexpectedly reboots due to a system crash or power failure, Software Capture will now automatically initiate a new recording upon reboot while preserving the previous recording.

For the YuJa Software Capture for Apple, this update includes the automatic start of scheduled sessions when Software Capture is closed, selecting course channels and saving locations for profiles, and integrated support for Kuando Buslight.

1. New Fleet Management Capabilities – Automatic Start of Scheduled Sessions When Software Capture Is Closed As part of our Fleet Management capabilities, we are developing tools to enhance remote deployments of the Software Capture application. In cases where Software Capture is not open, it will ensure that scheduled sessions start on time to capture active devices such as video, audio, and screen sources.
2. Select Course Channels and Save Locations for Profiles Content Creators can choose Course Channels and save locations when creating a profile, ensuring their recordings are automatically uploaded to the desired areas on the Video Platform.
3. Integrated Support for Kuando Busylight Administrators can connect their Kuando Busylight to their Mac device and configure preferred color options on the Device page to indicate whether a recording is active, paused, not recording, or if an error has occurred.

We have successfully pushed an update for Software Capture for PC and Mac to all instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, and the European Union.
For the YuJa Software Capture for PC, this update includes the option to create a scheduled window for uploading recordings, on-screen highlights to show the recordings state, the option for Software Capture to automatically open after finishing a recording, and optimized live stream screen recordings to use less CPU resources.

1. Ability to Create a Scheduled Window for Uploading to the Video Platform During Off-Peak Hours Institutions that would like their recordings uploaded to the Video Platform only during specific time frames can now create permitted upload windows. For institutions with network-constrained infrastructure, this enables uploads to happen during off-peak hours.
2. On-Screen Highlight to Show the Recording State To give on-screen indications of the recording status of Software Capture, content creators can enable an option to view a highlighted border around their screen capture source (which is not visible in the resultant recording). The highlighted border will indicate whether their recording has yet to start, is in progress, or is paused.
3. Software Capture Will Automatically Reopen After Recordings are Uploaded or Discarded Content creators who want to make multiple recordings consecutively or discard and restart their current recording will no longer need to manually relaunch and log in to the Software Capture application. We have added a new feature that, when enabled, will automatically reopen the application.
4. Optimized Live Stream Screen Recordings to Utilize Less CPU Resources By optimizing our live stream encoding, content creators will experience up to 30% reduced CPU usage when capturing their screen sources.

For the YuJa Software Capture for Apple, this update includes options for adjustable file size of recordings, customizing the frame rate of video sources, adjusting the orientation of the video feed, and new hotkeys to dynamically control sources.

1. Adjust the File Size of the Final Recording by Selecting Your Preferred Video Quality Content creators can enhance their recordings by selecting from six video-quality presets, each offering different levels of compression. The highest quality preset ensures no compression, preserving the video in its original detail but resulting in a larger file size. The lowest-quality preset applies the most compression, making files smaller and easier to transfer.
2. Customize the Frame Rate of Video Sources Content Creators can adjust the frame rate of their video source based on what their video camera supports.
3. Adjust the Vertical or Horizontal Orientation of the Video Feed Content creators have the option to flip their video recordings either horizontally or vertically.
4. New Hotkeys to Dynamically Control Sources We’ve added new hotkeys for camera, audio, and screen sources to automatically enable or disable them before starting your recording or during the recording.

We have successfully pushed an update to all Software Capture for PC instances residing in the Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update includes our new feature to distribute recordings with multi-application hosting/join capabilities, auto-detection of repeatedly disconnected devices, a new screen capture engine for dual-display adapters, automatic notifications to switch to software encoding, improved detection of Windows display adjustments during recordings, and improved labeling for Shared Profiles in the Confidence Monitor. This update will be released to US zones next Monday.

1. Distributed Recordings with Multi-Application Hosting / Join Capabilities The Software Capture application introduces a new feature called Distributed Recording to capture recordings across two independently operating Software Capture applications. Use cases for this include one Software Capture application capturing the podium computer in the front of the classroom while another application captures the A/V feeds in the rear of the classroom. With distributed recordings, users can effortlessly host or join sessions to create dynamic streams using two independently running Software Capture applications. Whether it’s multiple screen capture sources, video feeds, or audio inputs, recordings are seamlessly joined in the cloud for a rich, multi-stream experience. To learn how to use this feature, please visit our guide on How to Use Distributed Recordings for the Software Capture Application for PC.
2. “Fuzzy Profiles”: Detection of Repeatedly Disconnected Devices Across Underlying System Device ID Reassignment When devices linked to Profiles are disconnected or updated repeatedly, the Software Capture application could encounter retrieval issues leading to a profile invalidation error. While technically accurate, it would be ideal if the profile could self-heal and use the re-connected devices for recording, even if the underlying system Device ID has changed. To improve this, we have implemented an update to enhance profile validity by implementing additional device ID identification methods. These methods ensure seamless device retrieval by updating their unique IDs to the Software Capture application and ensuring the integrity of the Profiles.
3. New Screen Capture Engine for Dual-Display Adapters Some devices contain dual graphic adapters to increase their performance under heavy use. To ensure the Software Capture application maintains accurate screen recordings, we’re introducing our new Windows Graphic Capture engine to ensure the correct adapter is always used.
4. Automatic Notification to Switch to Software Encoding for Computers Maintaining High-End Framerates By default, the Software Capture application utilizes hardware encoding for both screen and video captures. However, for devices that might face difficulties in maintaining high-end framerates and video quality, the application automatically detects this issue and will recommend switching to Software Encoding.
5. Improved Labeling for Shared Profiles in the Confidence Monitor In identifying the need for users to distinguish between identically named regular and shared profiles in the Confidence Monitor, we’ve implemented a minor update to recognize shared profiles. Simply look for the label “(shared)” next to all shared profiles to ensure the correct selection is made.
6. Improved Detection of Windows Display Adjustments During Recordings The Software Capture application now detects adjustments to Windows Display settings. When settings such as resolution or extending the display are modified, the Software Capture application will automatically recognize these adjustments and restart the screen recording process to reflect the new settings.

Audio quality is essential for capture functionality; users need to be able to hear what you are saying. Poor audio quality makes captures less useful, and may leave users feeling discouraged and frustrated.

There are multiple components to the overall quality of an audio recording, including the space in which you’re recording, the equipment you’re using, and the settings for your microphone.

The Recording Space

The physical space and ambient noise present can impact the overall quality of the audio in your recording. Consider the differences between a small conference room and a large lecture hall full of students. In an empty conference room, you may have few audio issues. In a full lecture hall, there is likely to be a great deal of ambient noise. While you cannot address all aspects of background noise, you may be able to control some of the following:

• Turn off ceiling fans and additional, unused appliances and phones. Close your windows to block out vehicles and other outside noise.
• Position microphones away from the classroom computer. Computer fans can be a significant source of additional noise.
• Ensure there’s no echo. Typically, a smaller recording space is better to reduce echo, but carpet, furniture, and acoustic foam tiles in a space can all help reduce echo.

The Microphone

The right microphone is essential to good-quality audio recordings. In a small space, like an office, the built-in microphone in a laptop computer or headphone microphone may be adequate. There is little background noise in a small space, and fewer audio challenges. Still, if you choose this method, ensure you have access to editing software that can help enhance the audio. In a larger lecture hall or auditorium, it’s recommended that you choose a uni-directional microphone, which picks up sound only from one direction. This means the noise of the classroom or conference space will not be picked up on the microphone, while the speaker’s voice will be clear and audible. Ideally, the microphone should be placed 3-5 inches from the speaker. A stand, or a lapel microphone if you need to move around the room, can help keep the microphone the same distance from the speaker throughout the recording. It also ensures the speaker can use their hands for visual demonstrations.

The Sound Check

In addition to preparing the space and making smart microphone selections, it is helpful to take a moment to check your sound and assess sound quality. Do a test run to check that audio is clear, crisp, and balanced. If there are two speakers, it’s helpful to record on separate tracks so they can be adjusted separately. Each speaker should wear headphones to avoid picking up the other speaker’s audio as background noise. YuJa Software Capture enables you to test your audio feed before you begin recording. Check the monitor to assess your volume levels. You can also opt for a short on-demand recording to check and review your audio quality. YuJa’s HTML5-based Video Editor also allows instructors to edit audio to remove pauses, adjust audio gain adjustments, amplification and re-normalization capabilities.

We have successfully pushed an update to all Software Capture for PC instances residing in the US, Canada, Australia, and the European Union. This update includes migrating to a 64-bit architecture to improve performance, the ability to customize additional default configurations when installing and registering the Software Capture application, and improvements to the overall application based on field data.

1. Upgrade to a 64-Bit Architecture and 50%+ Improvement in Memory Footprint

   Migrating to the 64-bit architecture has significantly improved the performance of the Software Capture application by allowing it to take advantage of the larger memory space available in compatible systems. As a result, the Software Capture application will be able to allocate the appropriate memory resources for the workload and, as a result, will use memory resources approximately 50-60% more efficiently, as well as complete tasks much faster than previous versions.

   In practical terms, the Software Capture application can now address bottleneck issues that resulted in devices such as webcams disconnecting, or crashes due to a lack of memory resources. With the improved architecture, the application can take full advantage of any allocated memory, allowing for better scaling when handling high-intensity scenarios (such as multiple 4k cameras at high framerates).

2. Improved Fleet Management Capabilities Related to Improved Remote Configuration Deployment Deploy Capabilities As part of our strategic plan to enhance large-scale remote deployments of the Software Capture application, Administrators can remotely set and override many configurations and settings. By deploying a configuration file to devices, admins can simultaneously set standard customized settings across hundreds of devices. Some of these adjustments include the following:
   
   • Default Media Capture Engine
   • Language Override settings
   • Webcam and Screen Capture settings
   • System settings, including the use of alternate rendering modes
   To learn how to download, edit, and deploy the configuration file for your institution, please refer to our guide on Auto-Registering and Configuring the Software Capture Application for PC.
3. Resolved Stability and Field Issues We have resolved the a number of smaller issues to enable an enhanced user experience:
   
   • Resolved an issue that prevented users from utilizing Watchpoint folders to publish recordings to their selected channels.
   • Resolved an issue that only allowed users to select channels from the Internal Library. With this resolved, users will be able to select any channel to publish recordings in.